Chain Lakes

Drainage: Clarks Fork (WY)
Approaches: Easy dirt road, standard vehicle. About a two minute walk to the shore

Elevation: 9,800 feet
Fish: No WYG&F data
Coordinates: 44.92116, -109.50951
Bugs: Minimal on our visit

Getting there

Chain Lakes is the accessible one. A straightforward dirt road gets you there and it does not need high clearance or four-wheel drive. Park along the road and walk two minutes to the water.

That matters because of what comes after. Past Chain the track turns into genuine 4x4 terrain, and Lake WGN, Sawtooth and Sparhawk all sit beyond that point. Chain is where the easy driving stops.

The hike

Barely a walk. Two minutes from where you park to the shoreline, with no climbing.

At 80 acres and 9,800 feet, Chain Lakes is a large piece of high water reachable in a normal car, which is unusual in this country. It is also the highest lake on this road by more than 300 feet, so it opens later in the season than the ones below it.

Wyoming Game and Fish data has not been pulled for it. We fished it and did not catch anything, and fishing was slow throughout this chain on our visit.

Tips & safety

• This is the turnaround for a standard vehicle. Everything past Chain requires a true 4x4 or ATV. If you are not equipped for that, this is as far as the drive goes and it is worth the trip on its own.

• Highest lake on the road at 9,800 feet, which means snow lingers here later than at Sawtooth or WGN below.

• Fishing: No Wyoming Game and Fish data. We caught nothing here.

• Camping: Chain sits at 9,800 feet with roadside access and 80 acres of shoreline, so there is room to choose a spot and you can bring real gear rather than pack weight. The exposure at that elevation with open water beside you means wind is the thing to plan for.